Decisions
by DarkAngelSnapeLover
Summary: Arthur has been with Francine since high school, but now that they're married, he wonders if there is anything more out there for him. One-shot. Anti-Arthur x Francine. Rated T for graphic language. Completed for one-shot theme challenge with TheUltimateCombo. See profile for details.


**Decisions**

Arthur hadn't been home in a while, especially not since he first married Francine. He was twenty-two and he had just finished college. He was working in business, a position Francine helped him get through her personal connections. She was still in college training to be a lawyer, and though their marriage made both families extremely happy, Jane was surprised to see her son look so grim when he pulled up in his new car.

"Look what the cat dragged in," DW smirked. She was home for the weekend from college, where she was a psychology major. Kate, still in high school, was off with friends somewhere in the city, bigger now thanks to a nearby industrial boom.

"Anyone home?" Arthur called as he opened the front door. Jane immediately ran up to him, hugging him tightly.

"How's my little married man?" she asked sweetly as DW continued to laugh from the kitchen. Arthur waved to her gently before following Jane into the kitchen. "Are you hungry? Is she feeding you well?"

"You know I'm the cook, Mom," Arthur sighed. When Arthur was sixteen, he began to show interest in cooking, so David helped him learn. He was still horrible at keeping track of time, but Francine only complained about his food ninety percent of the time. Arthur put on a brave face as his mother poured him a glass of milk and handed him a plate of cookies.

"Tell me everything!" she exclaimed, standing across from him.

"There isn't much to tell," Arthur shrugged, eyeing DW closely. She was hovering beside him, staring at him and hoping he would say something that could prove he had one of the psychological disorders in his books. It was her dream to have him be the first truly crazy person-no explanation, just crazy. Arthur secretly hoped the same thing for her.

"Oh, well I'm sure there's something you can tell me that you didn't say on the phone the other night. Um...how's Nemo doing?" Jane asked.

"Nemo was her childhood cat, the one who was hit by a car," Arthur sighed. He'd explained this a dozen times; Francine had to do the same with her parents about Pal, who passed from old age when they were eighteen. They'd been together so long that facts blended with them, so Arthur told his mother about Bells and Whistles, the two orange tabbies they'd adopted recently. She smiled and nodded; Arthur knew none of it would stick more than a few brief moments if at all.

"So, when are you going to have children?"

"Francine wants to be a lawyer, Mom. Kids aren't exactly a part of her plan right now," Arthur whispered. Jane noticed he hadn't touched his cookies or his milk and nudged them towards him. He took a tiny nibble of the cookie and an even smaller sip of his milk. DW jotted down something in her notebook and Arthur glared at her.

Jane noticed and stood more upright, turning to a basket beside the refrigerator, "Look what I forgot. Arthur, would you like to walk with me to the post office? DW, you stay here in case your father calls. If he does, tell him Arthur's here. And if Kate comes home with any boys, keep them out of her room, okay?"

Kate's room was really Arthur's room. He'd let her have it when he moved out to attend college, and if he ever stayed in town, he always slept on the couch. He felt for Kate for having to stay behind with the dreadful DW, but she'd done well for herself and had plenty of friends. Most of DW's friends were online, but most of them still avoided her because she continuously forced her psychology knowledge at them, diagnosing them with all sorts of disorders they could never actually have.

Arthur brushed off the thought as he walked with his mother towards the new post office. He'd only been there once to pick up a package for his father, so the path was unfamiliar. But with DW away from them, it didn't matter what the path was. It was private, and Jane re-asked him how things were with Francine.

"It's not what I expected," he sighed. "I knew she was controlling. I always knew that, but I thought it'd be useful in a marriage. She'd tell me when to pay the bills, when to mow the lawn. I thought it'd be fun, just an extension of our childhood friendship."

"How bad is it?" Jane asked softly, stopping at a busy road to wait for the cross light.

"Well..."

"Oh please tell me you actually wanted her to marry you."

"Well-" Arthur paused again. He didn't want to marry Francine, not after living with her during college. He was planning on breaking up with her, and he always wondered if she found out because the next few days were strange, very strange. In the end, he proposed instead. They had a small ceremony in the Read family backyard to seal their fates.

"What did she tell you that made you propose?" Jane asked, looking both ways before obeying the cross light. Arthur waited until they were safely on the other side before responding:

"She told me her sister was stood up at the altar, some nonsense like that, and she showed me this scrapbook she'd made with bridesmaid dresses and everything. It was sad, she said, that she might never have something like that," Arthur sighed. "The night after the ceremony, she complained that Grandma Thora took too many pictures, her parents looked hideous in their suits, and that Dad's food was more suitable for a funeral. She got to be ten times worse, complaining about everything. It was horrible, but...I didn't know what to do. She helped me get my job. She knows the boss, whose son goes to her law school, and I couldn't divorce her in case all of this fell through.

"I'm miserable, Mom, and I thought you and Dad could help. Tell me how you did it. How did you stay married for so long?"

"You're implying that one of us is like her and the other is like you," Jane smiled, stopping at the next busy intersection to wait for the light. "It seems to me that you and Francine were compatible as childhood friends, but you just weren't ready for marriage. You have nothing in common, apparently, but job connections and memories, and well, I wish you would've told me all of this sooner. You acted so in love with her before, and I thought it was for real-genuine, true love. I was wrong, wasn't I? You played everyone."

"I did love her at first, but then...I guess I grew up," Arthur shrugged, looking with his mother before crossing the street. "Francine is away on business this weekend so I thought I'd stop by and talk with you guys. I thought I might be overreacting or getting cold feet or something, but...she threw dinner in the trash before she left and tossed out my favorite house shoes because they didn't match my favorite lounge pants. She cleans up after me even when I spent plenty of time scrubbing at stains or what have you, and well, I wanted to get away from that and see what you two thought. Should I risk everything to get away from her?"

"It's your choice," Jane whispered, turning up the main pathway to the post office.

Inside, a familiar person was restocking package forms: Buster Baxter. Arthur greeted him, and while his mother prepared her letters and sent them, they caught up. They agreed to meet up for drinks that evening at a local bar before Jane returned and Arthur waved goodbye.

"He's done well for himself despite things," Jane said softly when they left the building. Buster decided to party through high school and his first year of college, which left his grades abysmal and his body in rough shape. He came down with alcohol poisoning and nearly died, so he came home and decided to quit drinking. His mother helped him get a job with the post office, and he'd been there ever since.

"So, what do you mean by 'it's my choice'?" Arthur questioned.

Jane sighed, "I just...I don't want to get involved with your marital problems, Arthur. You married Francine whether it was your true will or not. Now you have to decide what to do on your own. I'll love you no matter what, just like your father, and if you do lose your job, I have plenty of connections that wouldn't mind a nice young man with the degree you have," she smiled. "Everything always works out. Remember that," she nodded.

Arthur nodded, looking around the area. It had changed so much when he was a child. He had to take the bus home after fourth grade because the traffic made it too dangerous to walk home, and most of the people he knew had moved away. Muffy and her family were gone too, Ed Crosswire's business going to the highest bidder before he moved his family to Metropolis for bigger and better things. The Morgan's did the same, and when the Armstrong's moved to Japan, Arthur felt more alone than ever. It was him and Francine from eighth grade on, always him and Francine.

"Arthur, are you okay?" his mother asked, tugging his arm to get him to cross the street. He nodded, looking with her before walking swiftly across. His mind was still elsewhere though. He had a decision to make, a very important one.

Buster waved at Arthur from a booth in the far corner of the room. Arthur sat with him and ordered a beer off tap and a plate of cheese fries. Buster was devouring some of his own while watching a hockey game on the television fixed high above the entrance.

"You watch hockey?" Buster asked, his mouth half-full of fries. Arthur shrugged as his beer and food arrived. He gingerly bit into a fry and looked up to another television, which showed a horse race. "Meh, it's a fun sport. My coworkers and I put bets on this game. I really hope the home team wins."

"How's it been for you?" Arthur asked. Buster shrugged, eating a few more fries, "I still drink alone but I don't binge drink, so Mom let me stop AA meetings. The guys at work have families and stuff. Hey, didn't you and Francine get married?"

Arthur nodded. They didn't talk about his marriage at the post office, just other life events. Arthur sipped his beer and cringed slightly; he still didn't have much of a taste for alcohol.

"Well, what's that like? Did she ever stop being such a bitch?" Buster questioned coldly before blushing slightly. He then chuckled nervously, "I get a little grumpy after work. I hope I didn't offend you."

"No, she's...well 'bitch' is actually the perfect way to describe her," he shrugged, taking a bite of another fry. "She controls every aspect of our household. She got onto me for buying breakfast the other morning instead of making it for myself. I was running late because she demanded sex, and well...you don't want to hear about this."

"No, I do actually," Buster said, swallowing a mouthful of beer and fries. "No one talks to me anymore who actually hates their life. Bobby, he's the new guy in Shipping and Returns, he has a wife and six kids. Six kids! And all of them are angels. He's always showing off pictures. And Greta, ooh, Greta from Sorting, she has the most perfect fiancé, always taking her out to dinner and just...I hate it, Arthur. I've never had a girlfriend, just girls, lots of 'em. And yeah, I liked it. I still get hookups every now and then. But I never settled down, so when I hear a person who hates their marriage, it helps me feel better about myself, you know? Like I'm not missing out on anything."

"Well you're not," Arthur scoffed, finishing his beer and gesturing for another. Now that the buzz was there in the background, he could drink more than he meant to. "She threw away my things, made me hide some of my childhood things in my old room. Kate doesn't mind. She's the best little sister in the world, always trying to help me. I let her have my room to get her away from DW. She's a nightmare still."

"I know. According to her, I'm a paranoid schitzo, whatever the hell that means," Buster hissed.

"She does that to everyone! It's like...other than my mom and my baby sister, I'm surrounded by bitches, Buster, just complete bitches! They control me, try to change me. There was never anything wrong with me, just them!"

"Sing it, brother," Buster cheered, gesturing for another beer right after Arthur's arrived.

"I'm just...I thought I was stuck before I came here, but you and Mom helped me see that Francine's the one who's stuck. She'll be stuck on the damn street when I'm done with her. I hate her, Buster. She told me that if I didn't propose, she'd tell her parents she was pregnant and that I abandoned her," Arthur said in a hushed whispered. He'd never mentioned this before, not even to his parents. "I had no choice, okay? I had to lie to my mom about that story, claim she wanted a dream wedding. No, she wanted me for whatever reason, and if she couldn't have me, she'd make me pay!"

"What if she does it again?"

"Who cares, Buster? I have a secret bank account, a joint account with Kate actually. She told me about this money project she was doing at school and I told her I'd cosign the account. I was old enough, so yeah, I have a secret account. It's got plenty in it and I'll use it to get her. I'll get her good!" Arthur grinned, finishing his beer and looking around the bar. "You know, I think I'll go home to get ready for this."

Buster watched his old friend leave, wishing him the best. But he also understood why it was best to be single now, and he found himself smiling wider than he had in years.

A few days later, the papers were drawn. Arthur had officially filed for a divorce from Francine, and all of his things were safely in a small apartment he'd found tucked away in the suburbs. He felt untouchable, like Francine could never control him again. He waited with confidence as she arrived home from her trip.

"What the hell are you doing up?" Francine spat, eyeing the clock as she threw her bags next to the door. Normally Arthur would be the one to carry them into their room and sort the clean from the dirty clothes, putting back her beautiful supplies with care. Not today.

"We need to talk, Francine. I'm-"

"Talk about what, Arthur? It's three in the fucking morning but you want to have a fucking chat with me. I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I smell like a garbage dump. Talk to me when I'm done resting up. And get those goddamn bags away from the door. It looks like a fucking hoarder lives here," Francine yelled angrily, disappearing into the bedroom before Arthur could say a word.

He remained sitting on the bar stool in the kitchen waiting for her to notice. Then-

"Where are your things, Arthur?!" she screamed, bursting into the room like a Category 4 hurricane. "What the fuck do you want to talk about? Did you cheat? Did you finally get yourself a hot piece of ass on the side, Arthur Read?"

"No, I'm moving out. I'm divorcing you," Arthur said calmly.

"And who the fuck gave you that idea? What about ME, Arthur? What. The. FUCK. About. Me?" she yelled, getting in his face.

Arthur smiled, "You gave me that idea by being an overbearing bitch."

"Why you-?!" she yelled, slapping him across the face. Arthur's glasses flew against the wall, popping out one lens and sending it flying. The other remained in the frame, spider web cracks flowing through the glass. "You aren't going anywhere. You'll make me look bad in front of this whole fucking town, and I can't have that," Francine whispered darkly, stepping over to the wine cabinet and opening a bottle.

"I don't care about your reputation anymore, Francine. I'm done with you. I can do better, and well, this whole this was a mistake. It's not a divorce, Francine, it's an annulment. Our marriage will have never existed," Arthur smiled. "Yes, I have enough evidence. I always have; I always will. You're done controlling me.

"And you can pick up your own bags," Arthur said, standing and moving towards the door.

Francine had already had a few gulps of wine straight from the bottle. When she saw Arthur starting to leave, she snapped, trying to lunge at him and knock him to his feet. He was sober now, though she was starting to get a buzz. She was flat on her butt without much effort on Arthur's part, her face scrunched with childish anger as Arthur smiled his way out the door.

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS! I'LL HAVE YOU FIRED! YOU'RE NOTHING WITHOUT ME!" Francine screamed after him. When his car left the driveway, she broke into violent sobs, drinking more wine as she cried.

"Arthur, it's nice that you're spending more time with the family. I'm sorry about your job, but your mom made a good pick, didn't she?" David chuckled, helping Arthur set the table.

"It's good to be home again," Arthur said, putting down the final plate. "I wanted to tell you and mom about why I'm back, if that's okay with you. Can we talk after dinner?"

"Arthur, can I tell you a little secret?" David smiled, walking up to his son and squeezing his shoulder, "Francine already tried calling here with too many lies to reference. We know what happened and I'm proud of you. She sounds like a horrible person now that we've gotten past all of that sugar coating she gave us in high school. If you need anything, just tell us and we'll provide it."

"I took a recording of her when I broke up with her," Arthur said. "My lawyer has a copy, and I have more copies hidden in private places around the area. Here's one for you and Mom. Cherish it in case she goes after it."

"She won't be doing that," Jane called from the doorway. "The girls are helping the Molina's haul away some furniture so we're alone. I'm proud of you, Arthur. I wish it had gone better, but maybe now you can tell us what really happened during your marriage. She lied a lot, didn't she?"

Arthur smiled, knowing he'd made the right decision. After dinner, he and his parents sipped wine while he told them everything about his horrible time with Francine. Two months later, he'd be a bachelor with his first protective order against an ex, and ex-girlfriend, as their marriage was annulled after the recording was played in court. Arthur stuck with the "pressured" defense, claiming Francine pressured him against his will into marriage. After that graphic recording, the judge agreed.

Arthur maintained successful business jobs thanks to his parents' connections, and while he dated off and on until he was thirty, he was very cautious with who he decided to settle down with. In the end, he wanted love over anything, something he knew he never had for the overly bossy Francine.

~End

Theme 015: Fall From Power

A/N: I completed this one-shot for a challenge I'm doing with TheUltimateCombo. To see the list of themes and challenges, visit our profiles.

My central idea for this piece was that Arthur x Francine could never work because of her bossy nature. This piece was overkill, a little, and she was almost too bitchy, but I like how it turned out. I have another piece using this same theme ("Fall From Power" is #061 in my other theme list, which is also available on my profile), except Francine is in high school and facing a life alone because of how she treated her friends in earlier years. That piece is titled "Fall From Grace" for those of you who are interested.

I guess I should also add that the pairing can work for certain people. If Francine isn't as bossy and Arthur is a little more assertive, then the two probably would make a good couple. I don't hate Francine either. Between her and Muffy, they both need a little power shift, in my opinion, because they both are...well they're both bitches, even in the show.

My point? You can flame me for my decision to make the Arthur x Francine pairing look bad, but I wanted you to see my reasoning behind it. I know I'm not alone in this opinion either, so yeah, I like the piece but I probably overkilled it with all the language and deception.

I'll get off my high horse now:D Thanks for reading and I hope some of you enjoyed the piece.


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